In a move defying Turkey, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted Israel’s right to veto any nation from a planned Gaza peacekeeping force. This comes days after a Trump-brokered truce, as relations with Ankara remain sour.
“Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us,” Netanyahu said, claiming the US supports this. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Israel, backed the principle of an “Israel-comfortable” force.
Rubio also stressed that Hamas, which has not disarmed, must be excluded from Gaza’s future. The US is exploring a UN resolution to authorize the force.
The truce is fragile. An Israeli strike on the Nuseirat camp, the second in a week, was condemned by Hamas as a “clear violation.”
The slow exchange of remains is also testing the peace. Donald Trump has warned Hamas to “return more bodies now,” but the group cites difficulties in recovering bodies from the rubble.
